Not Applicable.
Not Applicable.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and compound for attracting wildlife, more specifically to a method of using the extract of the hedge apple fruit as a deer attractant and/or cover scent.
2. Description of Related Art
Hunters, wildlife enthusiasts and wildlife photographers all have an interest in attracting wildlife, such as deer. Deer rely heavily on their sense of smell to react with their surrounding environment, including to sense danger, interact with other deer and find food. Scents that are not a natural part of the environment will often function as a warning to deer, which may result in the deer being spooked and running from the unnatural scent. As a result, persons interested in attracting deer must mask their scent to prevent spooking the deer. Because deer rely so heavily on their sense of smell, many known deer attractants use various scents to attract deer and cover the scent of the human wishing to attract the deer.
For example, because deer are known to be attracted by certain scents secreted by other deer, many known attractants contain materials obtained from deer. Deer urine produced during the rutting season is known to contain pheromones that attract other deer. As a result, various deer attractants contain some form of deer urine. Other attractants use hair taken from the tarsal gland region of a deer. Although such deer attractants have had success in luring deer, various problems exist with such attractants, including a smell that is offensive to the human user and a limited shelf life. In addition, the deer products contained in such deer attractants, such as pheromone-rich urine, occur in the natural environment only during certain seasons. The use of such scent outside of the natural season would be out of place to a deer, and likely would spook, rather than attract, the deer. Similarly, certain non-natural chemicals used in, or added to, a deer attractant would be out of place in the natural environment, and likely would spook a deer.
In many instances, the deer""s natural environment contains hedge apple trees. The hedge apple fruit is eaten by deer, particularly during the winter months. Although hedge apples are native to the South Central United States, they are now found throughout the Great Plains and other areas of the United States. The hedge apple tree, commonly referred to as osage orange trees, bois d""arc or bowwood trees, belongs to the family Moraceae and varieties are generally classified as Maclura pomifera or Maclura aurantiaca. The fruit of the hedge apple tree, which is called a hedge apple, is a round rough skinned fruit inedible by humans. Hedge apple fruit is thought to be effective in repelling insects, and extract from the fruit has been shown to repel cockroaches. It is suspected that 2,3,4,5-tetrahydroxystilbene is the chemical in the hedge apple fruit that is responsible for repelling insects.
The present invention is directed to a wildlife attractant comprising an extract from the fruit of the hedge apple tree and a method for using the extract to attract wildlife, preferably deer or other game, and to cover the scent of the human user. The wildlife attractant of the present invention does not require use of natural animal products, for example urine or hair, that have been used in prior game attractants. However, the hedge apple extract of the present invention may be used to attract wildlife, preferably deer or other wild game, and to cover the scent of a human in the same manner as conventional game attractants.
The wildlife attractant of the present invention comprises an extract from the hedge apple fruit. The extract may be produced using conventional extraction and distillation techniques. In a preferred embodiment the hedge apple fruit is ground into small pieces and water is added to create a pulp. The water and the volatile liquids, which contain the components of the hedge apple fruit that produce the hedge apple scent, are then extracted from the pulp by standard extraction and distillation techniques. For example, the pulp may be boiled under pressure to release the water and volatile liquids which are condensed and collected. Preferably a preservative is added to the extract. Optionally a colorant may be added as well.
The attractant of the present invention can be readily made from hedge apple fruit, which is inexpensive and widely available. Further, the method of extracting the wildlife attractant from the hedge apple fruit is simple, cost effective and can be carried out using standard distilling equipment. In addition, the extract of the present invention eliminates the need to obtain, handle and process animal urine or hair. Also, because the extract of the present invention does not contain animal urine, it does not possess the offensive smells associated with such products and it may be more desirable to human users.